Homeless mother has new life after drug addiction

Jessica Hardy said her methamphetamine habit caused her to lose it all – her employment, home, automobile and daughter.

Her life is back on track thanks to a program at the Modesto Gospel Mission called New Life.

“I was out in the world doing drugs and had nowhere else to turn,” said Hardy, who stays with other women in a 15-bed dormitory at the mission on Yosemite Boulevard.

The New Life program tries to break the cycle of homelessness for men and women through temporary housing, spiritual and emotional support and education and vocational services.

Hardy’s progress allowed her to reunite with her 13-year-old daughter, who had been staying with a grandmother. The 38-year-old mother has other children who live with their father.

The Modesto resident said she used meth for 10 years, but classes on goal-setting and positive thinking have helped transform her mind.

She attends a faith-based recovery program and also has taken classes on parenting, computers, job search and self-esteem.

Hardy works as a caregiver for an older man, cleaning his home, making sure he eats well and taking him to medical appointments and exercise. She attends church services on Sunday, and says faith is an essential part of her new life.

“It really has connected me with God,” Hardy said.

Hardy will soon graduate from the yearlong program and begin the next stage – transitional living. She and her daughter will move into an apartment near the gospel mission.

The client said she will pay $400 a month for housing and utilities, but 75 percent of rental payments are returned to clients after six months, enabling them to save money for a permanent apartment. It’s done that way so clients can re-establish some credit.

This transitional stage of the program supports participants while they learn to live on their own.

Hardy said she’s learning to forgive herself and believes she is ready for the next step.

“I am excited about it,” Hardy said. “I know the drug life is not for me, because of what it has taken from me.”

This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 8:47 PM with the headline "Homeless mother has new life after drug addiction."